PINAKI MAJUMDAR
Jamshedpur, Dec 7: The prototype of the Vande Bharat sleeper train set has been manufactured and will soon undergo field trials.
The rollout timeline is subject to the successful completion of the trials.
Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, in a statement in the Rajya Sabha, said that presently, Vande Bharat sleeper trains planned for long-and medium-distance journeys are equipped with modern features and passenger amenities.
Some of the distinguished features and amenities of Vande Bharat sleeper trains:
* Fitted with KAVACH.
*EN-45545 HL3 fire safety standards compliant train.
*Crashworthy and Jerk-Free Semi-permanent couplers and Anti Climbers.
*Crashworthy design of Ccarbody complying with EN standards.
* Regenerative braking system for energy efficiency.
* Higher average speed with quick deceleration and acceleration.
*Emergency talk-back unit for communication between passenger and train manager/loco pilot in case of an emergency.
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* Accommodation and accessible toilets for Passengers with Restricted Mobility (PRM) in the driving coaches on each end.
* Centrally controlled automatic plug doors and fully sealed wider gangways.
* Ergonomically designed ladder for ease of climbing onto upper berths.
* Centralized coach monitoring system for better condition monitoring of passenger amenities such as air conditioning, saloon, lighting etc.
* CCTV surveillance cameras in all coaches.
Notably, as as on December 2 , 136 Vande Bharat train services with chair car coaches are running across the Indian Railways network.
Of these, 16 Vande Bharat Express services are catering to the needs of stations located in the states of Tamil Nadu.
The longest distance Vande Bharat train services are running between Delhi and Banaras, covering a distance of 771 Km.
The introduction of new train services, including Vande Bharat services and its variants, is an ongoing process on Indian Railways subject to traffic justification, operational feasibility, resource availability, etc.
